AWS Senior Engineer

The application deadline and start date are subject to change based on the status of the contract.  Applications will be accepted through expiration date or until the position is filled.  If the contract is not awarded, this position may not be filled.

Koniag Technology Solutions, a Koniag Government Services company, is seeking an experienced Senior AWS Engineer to join a focused, small team supporting AWS Cloud service offerings for a government agency undergoing cloud modernization and migration efforts. The ideal candidate is a motivated team-player with deep knowledge of AWS services and cloud computing, passionate about automation, collaboration, and driving technical solutions in a fast-paced environment. This position requires an active Secret clearance at minimum, with Top Secret preferred. 

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement.

The Senior AWS Engineer will serve on a focused, small team to support AWS Cloud service offerings used by a government agency to modernize and migrate systems to the cloud. The Engineer will work closely with the Product Owner, Scrum Master, fellow engineers, and security engineers to define and build the initial service offering as well as the roadmap for future releases. This multi-functional role will participate in and support a team charged with coordinating and implementing various solutions required to support the AWS Cloud. Principal responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Serve as a technical leader, setting the tone and driving the AWS team toward common infrastructure goals established by the customer.
• Collaborate with the Product Owner to communicate architectural trade-offs and design options, enabling informed decision-making.
• Implement proof of concepts and pilots for various cloud solutions, developing operational plans and creating documentation and implementation plans for solutions used to access and leverage AWS.
• Build and support YAML-based CI/CD pipelines leveraging tools such as GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, CircleCI, or similar.
• Build and support Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions leveraging tools such as Terraform, Pulumi, Ansible, Salt, Chef, CloudFormation, or similar.
• Design and implement Cloud-Native and Hybrid architectures, with a deep understanding of IaaS and PaaS services and how to combine them to build complex solutions.
• Partner with development and operations teams to develop practical automation solutions and custom modules, troubleshooting automation issues and delivering timely resolutions.
• Research, analyze, design, propose, and support the delivery of solutions aligned with business and technology strategies.
• Design data, system, and component architectures and communicate designs clearly to executive leadership.
• Manage and support two cloud environment offerings, one at FISMA Moderate and one at FISMA High.
• Identify constraints and bottlenecks in engineering lifecycles and drive automation to resolve them.
• Support and promote a culture of collaboration, transparency, and automation across the team.
• Apply Change and Configuration Management best practices throughout the engineering lifecycle.
• Operate in an Agile/Scrum environment, contributing to sprint planning, standups, retrospectives, and other Agile ceremonies.

Education and Experience:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, Information Technology, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• 7+ years of experience in cloud engineering, with significant hands-on experience in AWS environments.
• Demonstrated experience building and supporting CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code solutions.
• Experience working within FISMA Moderate and/or FISMA High environments is strongly preferred.
• AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification.
• Active Secret Clearance or higher.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Exceptional communication skills in English – both written and oral – with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive leadership.
• Ability to set the technical tone and lead an AWS-focused engineering team toward common goals.
• Deep, hands-on experience with AWS services and cloud computing, including IaaS and PaaS offerings.
• Experience building and supporting YAML-based CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, CircleCI, or equivalent.
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools such as Terraform, Pulumi, Ansible, Salt, Chef, CloudFormation, or equivalent; with specific experience in Terraform Open Source in CI/CD-driven solutions.
• Proven knowledge of PowerShell scripting, including the ability to build and understand logical scripts utilizing constructs such as if/else, foreach, try/catch, and similar statements.
• Experience with Cloud-Native and Hybrid cloud architectures.
• Ability to design data, system, and component architectures and articulate designs clearly and concisely to varied audiences.
• Well-versed in the DevOps lifecycle and process improvement strategies.
• Proven knowledge of Change and Configuration Management best practices.
• Experience with Agile methodologies, particularly Scrum and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Passion for identifying constraints and bottlenecks in engineering lifecycles and automating solutions.
• Commitment to building a culture of collaboration, transparency, and automation.
• Must possess a minimum active Secret security clearance; Top Secret clearance preferred.

Desired Skills and Competencies:

• Experience working in a federal government IT environment.
• Familiarity with FISMA compliance frameworks and FedRAMP authorization processes.
• Experience with Kanban methodology.
• AWS certifications, such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, or equivalent.
• Experience managing cloud environments at both FISMA Moderate and FISMA High security levels.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture principles.
• Experience with container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes or Amazon ECS/EKS.
• Knowledge of cloud security best practices and tools, including AWS Security Hub, AWS Config, GuardDuty, or similar.

Our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:
The company is an equal opportunity employer. The company shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity (except where gender is a bona fide occupational qualification), national origin or ancestry, age, disability, citizenship, military/veteran status, marital status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to equal employment opportunity in all decisions related to employment, promotion, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment.

The company is dedicated to seeking all qualified applicants. If you require an accommodation to navigate or to apply to a position on our website, please contact Heaven Wood via e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 703-488-9377 to request accommodations. 

Koniag Government Services (KGS) is an Alaska Native Owned corporation supporting the values and traditions of our native communities through an agile employee and corporate culture that delivers Enterprise Solutions, Professional Services and Operational Management to Federal Government Agencies. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Koniag, we apply our proven commercial solutions to a deep knowledge of Defense and Civilian missions to provide forward leaning technical, professional, and operational solutions. KGS enables successful mission outcomes for our customers through solution-oriented business partnerships and a commitment to exceptional service delivery. We ensure long-term success with a continuous improvement approach while balancing the collective interests of our customers, employees, and native communities. For more information, please visit www.koniag-gs.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. Shareholder Preference in accordance with Public Law 88-352